Ottawa Coach Guy Boucher has always turned games to sludge with his 1-3-1 trap, and that includes his stint behind Tampa Bay's bench from 2010-13.
Here's how the Philadelphia Flyers dealt with Tampa Bay not forechecking on 11.9.11:
It's an amazing sequence. I give the Flyers credit for making a mockery. The only place to do that is on the road, where you frustrate the opposition's paying customers even more than Boucher's team is trying to frustrate you. Perhaps the Penguins should try that tonight in Game 3 at Ottawa.
The referees whistled the play dead for inaction on several occasions during that 11.9.11 game, dropping the puck in the Philadelphia end after the Flyers refused to move the puck forward. When the refs instructed Flyers Coach Peter Laviolette to tell his team to move the puck, he replied, "Tell Tampa to forecheck."
The game had a sad conclusion for those who hate boring tactics: Tampa Bay won, 2-1 in overtime.
The Senators are playing to 96.6 percent capacity during these playoffs. That's not a plethora of empty seats, but it is the lowest figure among all 16 NHL playoff teams. Does their style keep ticket sales from maximizing?